2008 Saturn Astra

The 2008 Saturn Astra is available as either a two- or four-door hatchback. Both versions are very small cars, with Motor Trend saying that the "Astra is a true subcompact" at "167.3 inches long for the five-door." For those who love European styling, Car and Driver brings good news, saying that "the only differences between the Astra built by GM's German subsidiary for sale in Europe and this new Saturn edition are its badges and minor exterior trim" changes.

Revamped styling for the brand doesn't stop on the outside of the Astra; Saturn’s interior sports a fine design that Road & Track claims "exudes an aura that is definitely not of this continent." Edmunds raves about the interior, claiming that "the cabin is the Astra's strongest point" and noting that "Opel clearly had Volkswagen in its sights when it designed the Astra's interior." ConsumerGuide takes a more middle-of-the-road approach, adding, "While Astra's interior does nothing to impress in terms of style and design, it's pleasant overall, if a bit bland."

When bringing the Astra over from Europe, the people at Saturn decided to make life easier for the indecisive among us; accordingly, "a 138-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder is the only engine" available on the 2008 Saturn Astra, according to Cars.com. While occasionally underpowered, the Saturn Astra's four-cylinder powerplant holds up well around town.

And while the 1.8-liter engine doesn't provide a lot of oomph, the 2008 Saturn Astra is a wonderfully composed car on the road. Edmunds finds that the Astra is "pretty fun to drive...thanks to its European-influenced suspension tuning." ConsumerGuide also points out that even "base-suspension models offer better than average overall control." One drawback of the Saturn Astra's sport suspension is that ConsumerGuide feels that it can "make for a rough ride on nearly all types of pavement." Kelley Blue Book reviewers write that "the Astra's steering is firm with good on-center feel and the handling is sporty with excellent stability." Harnessing the Astra's momentum is "a good-sized set of discs at all four corners with standard ABS" that Car and Driver says give the 2008 Saturn Astra "better than average" braking performance.

© Source: thecarconnection
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2008 Saturn Astra XR Three-Door - full test.

Everything you need to learn about the character of the 2008 Saturn Astra XR can be found in its key fob. The switchblade style favored by VW lets you know that Saturn is thinking GTI here. Of course, there are consequences for thinking in German, as you can tell by the key fob's cryptographic buttonry. There are two slash marks in parallel on one side of the face, two slash marks at approximately 45-degree angles to each other, and you're supposed to figure out that one button locks the doors and the other unlocks them. And then there's the clock, which reads only in military-style 24-hour time.

Lots of Growl, Not Much Bite
This 1.8-liter version of the Ecotec inline-4 seems a little low-tech with its iron block, yet its weight is comparable to that of an aluminum-block engine (so Saturn claims) and it features variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. But it all adds up to no more than 138 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 125 pound-feet of torque at 3,800 rpm, which is not exactly the sporting power we were hoping for.

The overall propulsion is pretty good, and the engine has a wide, generous power band, but it's always growling and grows coarse as you approach redline. There's not much snap to this engine, and when you rev it to the power peak, you bounce right off the rev limiter at redline, which lies only a few rpm higher at 6,500 rpm.

As in most German cars, the shift action of this five-speed manual combines long, light-effort throws with strong but notchy gear engagement. It's not as intuitive to find the path between gears as we'd like and the 2-3 shift in particular requires the accuracy of a Golden Gloves jab and can't be rushed. At the test track, the slightly heavy 2,814-pound Astra XR plods to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds and then crosses the 1,320-foot mark in 16.8 seconds at 82.5 mph. (This happened in 3rd gear instead of 4th, a rare occurrence among cars like this.)

Hot or Not?
The 2008 Saturn Astra XR's racy good looks are both its best feature and its biggest source of disappointment. It looks hot. But it's not just hot; it's hot in that hot hatch way that screams "Small car, big fun!" Unfortunately, the XR just can't quite cash the check its appearance writes, as the engine and transmission seem to be on a mission to deliver only the thrifty 25.2 mpg we observed despite our best efforts.

For all that, this is a fun car to drive, but it's not sharp enough to make you overlook the Mini Cooper and the Volkswagen GTI. Then again, this Astra XR's bottom line at $20,330 makes it look a lot more interesting.We're waiting for the Astra Red Line that has to be waiting in the wings. If the Holden Astra VXR is any indication, it should be great.

© Source: edmunds
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2007 SEMA Show: Saturn Astra Tuner Concept Aims for a "Racier Look"

LAS VEGAS — The Saturn Astra makes its maiden appearance at the 2007 SEMA Show in the form of the Astra Tuner Concept, sporting a lowered ride height, high-performance Recaro seats and 20 more horsepower than the production car.

The Saturn Astra Tuner Concept is based on a production Astra XR three-door. Modifications to the 1.8-liter Ecotec DOHC inline-4 include an exhaust header, a cold-air intake and a modified throttle body. External touches include new front and rear fascia extensions, a new grille surround finish and tinted headlamps, taillamps and windows. Study it with a keen eye and you'll notice that the production side moldings have been deleted and a rear center-outlet exhaust has been added. The concept also gets OPC 19-inch wheels and an OPC rear spoiler.

The cabin is tweaked with a Blaupunkt sound system, GMA pedals and unique interior trim.

Saturn describes its SEMA show concept as one that "applies some of the latest bolt-on performance and appearance components to show what's possible with this all-new compact."

What this means to you: Expect the Saturn Astra to become one of the darlings of the tuner crowd.

© Source: edmunds
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